Report: Lavonte David fined $7,875 for hit on Geno Smith

Posted by Josh Alper on September 12, 2013, 12:38 PM EDT

Reuters

It looks like safety Dashon Goldsonisn’t the only Buccaneers player who received an envelope from the league with news of a fine for their actions during an 18-17 loss to the Jets that was painful enough without any money being taken from their pockets.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports that linebacker Lavonte Davidhas been fined $7,875 after being penalized for a late hit on Jets quarterback Geno Smith in the final seconds of the game. The Jets used the 15 yards to set Nick Folk up for the game-winning field goal.

David said after the game that he felt Smith was still in bounds when contact was made, something the officials disagreed with at the time and something the league obviously disagrees with as well. Per Rapoport, David plans to appeal the fine.

The play was close to the line between legal and illegal, but it doesn’t feel like an appeal that’s likely to meet much success. The league’s been pretty clear about when and how players can be hit and David’s play is one that regularly leads to both flags and fines under the current rules. Between Folk’s field goal and the cash, it’s wound up being a high price for David to pay for a play made without any apparent malicious intent in the heat of the moment.

34 Responses to “Report: Lavonte David fined $7,875 for hit on Geno Smith”

dalexicono says:Sep 12, 2013 12:43 PM

Gimme a break, how soft is this league going to get. He barely touched him, before Geno’s foot landed out of bounds – and your slapping a fine on him? I get you gotta protect QBs but this is ridiculous.

So David gets a fine for a shove as Smith was going out of bounds, but nothing for Clay Mathews for launching himself at, and clotheslining Kaepernick who was 2 yards out of bounds when contact occurred?

I’m all for protecting the players, and in some cases fines are necessary. This incident was a borderline call at worst and not a play that endangered a players body. It must be so frustrating to be a defensive player in the NFL now, and embarrassing for the offensive players that are becoming accustomed to the pampering.

Very disappointed that David is being fined as the penalty was punishment enough allowing the Jets to get into FG range and eventually win the game. David’s shoving Gino Smith out of bounds was nowhere near what Clay Matthews did to Kaepernick (as well as initiating a fight). I’m starting to lose interest in the NFL and am ready to give up my season tickets already as the league has meta morphed into something unappealing to watch.

If a fine doesn’t get handed down to Clay Matthews, we will all know that Roger Goodell plays favorites and the legitimacy of anything he says and does will be tarnished.

surfinbird1 says:Sep 12, 2013 1:30 PM

$7,875. Roger you forgot the three cents.

puhleezho says:Sep 12, 2013 1:38 PM

should have been $7,875.14.

rawbbqsauce says:Sep 12, 2013 1:39 PM

Let’s fine him $7,875 instead of $8,000 muahahaha

skinsfan2013 says:Sep 12, 2013 1:44 PM

So D hall with the Skins and Clay Matthews with the Packers should also receive a fine

kaeptovernon says:Sep 12, 2013 1:47 PM

goawayeverybody says:
Sep 12, 2013 1:27 PM
“If a fine doesn’t get handed down to Clay Matthews, we will all know that Roger Goodell plays favorites and the legitimacy of anything he says and does will be tarnished.”

Roger BadDell is absolutely going to destroy NFL football. What a bad fine on a very controversial call to begin with. Smith had already faked going out of bounds earlier in the game, something these absolutely horrible referees should have known. If you all want to allow that this play was even a penalty then fine, your a moron and I can live with that, but to fine him is just plain stupid. Bring back the replacement refs, they are just as bad and you don’t have to pay em as much.

ghost26 says:Sep 12, 2013 2:09 PM

I don’t care what the rules say–there can NOT be a penalty called on that play especially at that point in the game. Geno was still in bounds as a ‘runner’ & he was pushed out. Eventually we’re going to see defensive players tackling referees for those calls & I’m all for it.

modhairken says:Sep 12, 2013 2:19 PM

This is the way it is going to be until the fan support decreases out of disgust. Look at NASCAR with its race-rigging. Support is down. When outcomes of games are determined by violations of rules that bear little resemblance to the purpose of the rule, one by one, people will say “I’m done with it.”

Bottom line, David broke the rule that was well-known and in-place. Period. He deserved the penalty. The larger question is with the rule, not the enforcement. Recall earlier in the game, a player pulled up on Geno near the sideline, and Geno turned it up and gained more yards. May explain David’s actions, but the rules are the rules.

This is the post-concussion lawswuit NFL. Every hard hit, no matter what, is getting penalized and fined. You can’t block low, you can’t hit high, you have to wait until “defenseless receiver” hits the ground, regains his feet and runs away, and you have to immediately process — at game speed — whether a QB is a QB or a runner. Guess wrong, and its 15 yards and a FedEx from the league office.

I have no interest in either team, but there’s no way that push deserved a fine whatsoever. It’s clear Goodell is trying to make players help pay for the lawsuit settlement.

granadafan says:Sep 12, 2013 2:43 PM

I can see the confusion by defenders. If he lets up on the runner, then the runner may decide to turn the ball upfield for more yardage as Geno did earlier in the game. There needs to be common sense with these penalties and this is NOT one of them. Protecting the players to the point is absurdity is killing the game.

pftfan says:Sep 12, 2013 2:49 PM

“NFL IS BECOMING A JOKE!!!”

-guy who will watch 12-15 hours of NFL per week, pay for the NFL Redzone package, play in four NFL fantasy leagues, and take some time out to comment on an NFL blog.

the penalty and fine were deserved. Most of you misunderstand why the penalty and fine was called.

it has nothing to do with pushing him out of bounds. it was called for contnuing to shove him once Geno was ALREADY OUT.

Buccaneer fans keep trying to obscure the facts by saying David first touched Smith in bounds, but that had nothing to do with the penalty or the fine.

David was penalized a 15 yarder as a personal foul for continuing to manhandle Smith once Smith was ruled out of bounds….. That is entirely at the Refs discretion since the ref knew when he blew the whistle and Lavonte David did not let up

Buccaneer fans are trying to blame the loss on Goodell but as their 13 penalties show it was all on Tampa’s lack of Discipline

sparky151 says:Sep 12, 2013 8:22 PM

The initial foul call was pretty bad and frankly the league should apologize for that though they won’t of course since it determined the outcome of the game. It’s just adding insult to injury to fine David for extremely weak contact. Smith was a ball carrier after all, not a defenseless QB in the pocket who had just released a pass.